Peak power fluctuations in optical pulse compression

Abstract
The effects of fluctuations in input intensity and pulsewidth on the output pulse of an optical pulse compressor are investigated. The performance of the fiber grating pulse compressor is modeled in the absence of group velocity dispersion. This model is verified by comparison to experimental results obtained with a compressed, continuous-wave, mode-locked Nd:YAG laser. An optimized servosystem is designed for the pulse-compressed laser system which results in as much as 50-dB noise reduction at low frequencies.